Earning Lily's Approval
by xxrach97
Summary: James has a plan to ask Lily out on a date, and he will not give up. He has the help of The Marauders, but how far is he prepared to go? R&R please ! xx
1. The Plan

Chapter One: The Plan

**A/N: Okay, so I know that I still have a few unfinished stories to complete, but I just can't help starting new ones! I hope you like it! Oh, and btw, if there are a few incorrect details in this fanfic please notify me by reviewing or sending me a PM! Thank you xx**

James is honestly a jerk. He thinks that messing with Severus will give him a good impression, does he? Well, he's wrong. He and that Sirius Black are the trouble makers of Hogwarts, and I do not intend to pay them any attention, if not the amount that they already deserve. Defending Severus hasn't really gotten me anywhere, but I had felt like it was the right thing to do. That is, at the time.

~0~0~

It was a free period, and I was sitting by the lake with my friends. It was our final year at Hogwarts, and I planned to make it as worthwhile as possible. Right now, I was flicking through my Defence Against The Dark Arts textbook.

"Lily, James Potter is staring at you," giggled one of my best friends, Julia. I rolled my eyes. As if I was going to pay any attention towards _him_.

"Oh Julia, for Merlin's sake, I couldn't _possibly _care less whether or not he is looking at me." Julia gave me a knowing smile, while I ignored her.

I was getting bored, even though it was a nice day. Brilliant rays of sunshine were reflected upon the calm waters of the lake, making me feel warm inside. So I decided to chance a glance towards Potter.

Ugh; I almost regretted it at once. As usual, he was playing with that old Snitch. It annoyed me so much that he always sat under that same tree near the lake. Almost as if...he was trying to impress us. I immediately shook that thought away.

At the moment my brilliant green eyes made contact with his hazel ones, his free hand leaped to his black hair and he continued to mess it up. What confused me was why on earth he did that every time I glanced at him.

I barely noticed the shade of his eyes; except that it made me flinch when I stared at them. There was just something about him that intrigued me. I felt a rustle beside me.

Julia was heading back inside along with Harriet and Chelsea. She turned around, gesturing towards me.

"C'mon Lily, it's time for Ancient Runes," she exclaimed. My gaze turned away from James as I picked up my textbooks and began to head inside with my friends.

~0~0~

**James' POV:**

What is it with Lily? She's obviously playing hard to get. I turned to Sirius.

"Hey Padfoot, you've had plenty of experience in the girl category, haven't you?" Sirius gave me a dazzling smile.

"Of course! What would you expect from an attractive guy like me?" I threw an old Potions textbook at him, which he cleverly dodged.

"Hey! C'mon Prongs, I'm not to blame for my good looks! Do you want advice from me or not?" He teased.

I chuckled. "Okay okay, just be sensible and stick to the subject." Remus gazed at us with a strange expression.

"What's wrong, Moony?" I asked earnestly. He shook his head, a little too quickly if you ask me.

"Nothing. Just concentrate, won't you? Remember my role is to make sure you guys stay in order," Remus stated with authority. Then he returned to studying for the upcoming midyear examinations. I hadn't even laid a single thought on the exams. I guess I've been too busy to even care.

Sirius laughed, laying a firm hand on Remus' shoulder, making him cringe. I knew exactly how that felt. "Moony, relax! You worry too much. You need to loosen up a bit more." I decided to join in.

"And we're the right people for you to hang with!" Remus did not look at all convinced.

"Hello, stick to the subject, remember?" Peter reminded us. Up until now, I hadn't even noticed Wormtail.

I gave him a grateful smile, and then turned to Sirius expectantly.

"Okay, so you wanna impress Lily," Padfoot began. "Actually, more than that. I want to eventually...you know, ask her out on a date," I added sheepishly.

Sirius grinned broadly. "I take it that she doesn't return your interest?" I nodded impatiently.

"So then...just come straight out and ask her." There was a prolonged silence. I found my voice again.

"Just like that?" "Yes! Come on Prongs, I know you can do it." Remus looked up.

"And remember to not bother Snape," he pointed out helpfully. Sirius snorted.

"Why not? Snivellus deserves some fun, doesn't he?" I thought long and hard.

"But Lily doesn't like me when I'm like that. Maybe I could just do it secretly. You know, behind her back or something. She won't know." There was a surge of confidence in my voice as I spoke.

Remus shrugged, clearly bored of the whole conversation. Sirius agreed with apparent enthusiasm. "Right on, Prongs!"

All three of us stared at tiny Peter Pettigrew. He gazed back at us nervously.

"Wormtail, what do you think of this matter? You have to come forward and have your say for the decision to be final; after all, we are the Marauders." There was a little strain of pride in Remus' voice as he said that.

"Uh, okay! Sounds great," smiled Peter.

This was it. The decision was final, as Moony had phrased so shrewdly. I stood up and walked inside with the Marauders at my side.

**A/N (2): Like it? Or not? Please R&R! **

**Read on to find out if James' plan will work or not...or will Lily make it even harder for him? **


	2. An Odd Twist

**Chapter Two: An Odd Twist**

"Hey, Evans." My head snapped up, just in time to see James Potter gazing at me intently. His eyes pierced into me, and I felt like he could see through my body and soul.

"What do you want, Potter?" I shot back disdainfully. His mouth curled up into a smirk.

"For you to go out with me." Merlin! Was he _that _full of himself? I noticed that he was alone. Sirius Black wasn't by his side this time to back him up.

"Potter, that would be the very last thing I would do." I stood up to walk away from him. We were in the crowded library, a place he was not likely to be seen in. He blocked my way.

Oh great. "Would you care to step out of my way, please?" I decided to take the polite approach. He didn't move. This clearly wasn't working.

"I regret to say that you have chosen for me to do it the _hard _way," I said. Ha! A jab of the wand ought to do the trick...I shoved Potter out of the way, and poked him in the ribs with the sharp end of my wand. He clutched his side, groaning painfully. Without sparing him a single glance, I left the library with a grin on my mouth that was not likely to disappear anytime.

~0~0~

"You have got to be joking, Lily!" Julia squealed. I winced. I do not know why how on earth Harriet had seen us in the library. And I had been sure that nobody was watching!

"No Jules, I'm not." Harriet, Chelsea and Julia all squealed excitedly.

"But you said yes, didn't you?" Chelsea squeaked, almost jumping with exhilaration. I shook my head.

There was a stunned silence. Harriet decided to break the silence. "Oh yeah, I was wondering why you had poked James with your wand. That was pretty odd."

Julia and Chelsea's mouths were wide open. "You did WHAT?" Chelsea spluttered.

"I poked Potter with my wand," I announced proudly.

"Was Sirius with him?" Julia asked hopefully. I rolled my eyes while shaking my head. These girls were hopeless when it came to ignoring the Marauders. None of them could resist the temptation of falling for the playboy, Sirius Black. Unlike me, of course.

They soon dropped the subject when they caught sight of Sirius walking with James, Remus and Peter Pettigrew by his side.

"It's Sirius!" Chelsea breathed in awe. "Look at James, Lily," Harriet remarked. "He's messing up his hair again." There was a hint of a smile in her voice.

Despite my hatred towards James Potter, I blushed.

~0~0~

**James' POV:**

I was walking to our tree with Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail when I saw Lily sitting by the lake with her friends. They were all gazing at us...well, at Sirius. Only Lily seemed to be staring at the ground, playing with the strands of her long, red hair.

"There's Lily, Prongs," Sirius pointed out. "She must hate you a lot to reject you like that."

Remus nodded, lost in deep thought. Wormtail was entirely oblivious to the whole conversation.

"And she shoved me out of the way! Not to mention that she jabbed me with her wand," I added sourly. Sirius burst into a fit of laughter.

"Whoa! Lily Evans has got more guts than I thought she had."

I was feeling annoyed that Sirius was making a whole show of this. It's not like there weren't other opportunities, right? I just had to come up with something else.

Unfortunately, just as I was about to comment on Sirius' last line Snivellus came into view.

Snivellus, with his droopy black hair and old robes. His head was stuck in a book, as usual, and he was alone.

Sirius seemed to spot him as well. I saw a sparkle in his eye. "Snivellus," he hissed, rubbing his hands together.

Thankfully, Remus brought us back to our senses. "Padfoot! We cannot intimidate Snape, remember? Lily is right there!"

Sirius shrugged disappointedly; his shoulders sagged. I punched him playfully. "There's always another time, right Padfoot?"

He did not respond, but continued to walk forward, past Snivellus and the girls. I hung back, staring at the back of his head. Wormtail stayed with me.

"What's wrong, Prongs?" He asked worriedly. "It's nothing, Wormtail," I said quickly. It was no use trying to voice my thoughts. What good would that do, anyway?

~0~0~

**Lily's POV:**

It was strange, seeing Potter not talking to Black. They were the best of mates, and had been since our first year at Hogwarts. It was during Charms that I noticed this sudden change.

Professor Flitwick was making us revise all the charms that we had learnt in the past six years. A load of rubbish, if you ask me. Potter was sitting beside Sirius, with Remus on his other side and Peter on the right end. He seemed to be avoiding talking to Sirius. The entire Charms lesson was quite different, and much less quieter than usual without James and Sirius' voices rising over the others.

By the time the bell had rung, I was desperate to find out what was going on, and so were everyone else in the class. I walked outside the Charms classroom with my friends babbling animatedly.

"Lily, did you see that?"

"Of course I did; everyone did, right?"

"Merlin! Do you think they've been fighting?" "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"

And it went on from there. The remainder of the conversation, however, I did not contribute much to. Nobody seemed to notice though, and that suited me just fine.

~0~0~

**James' POV:**

Charms with Flitwick was horrible. It was the most awkward lesson I have ever been forced to endure. The moment we four Marauders left the classroom, chatter stirred up amongst everybody. I could remember my name being thrown in several times.

"James," Sirius began. I whipped my head up to look at him. This was the first time he had ever addressed me as "James", not "Prongs". We were walking along the staircases miserably.

"I have to ask you something: would you give up our friendship for Lily?" I was thrown speechless by that question. Why would he ask something like that? Of course not!

"No way, Padfoot!" I exclaimed. Remus gave me a small smile.

"Then why are you so obsessed with her, that you want to give up all our fun to get one measly date?"

I was angry now. A fiery ball had risen inside of me, and I couldn't stop myself.

"Padfoot, how could you accuse me of such a thing? Snivellus was just one part of the deal, and after all, it's not going to last for long!" Everyone stopped.

"Well, not until Lily agrees to go out with me," I added breathlessly. We kept on walking.

"Of course," Sirius nodded, rolling his eyes and flicking a strand of his hair.

We continued on in silence, as I pondered over everything with each step I took.

**A/N: Please review! I appreciate people adding me to their story alerts, but can you please tell me what you think of the story? Thank you! xx **


	3. Falling Under His Spell

**Chapter Three: Falling Under His Spell**

I had a free period and Julia, Chelsea and Harriet were still in separate classes – Julia in Divination, Chelsea in Ancient Runes and Harriet in Arithmancy. I loved them like they were my own sisters, but sometimes I felt like they were intruders in my private life. They often giggled and joked whenever Sirius Black was around, and teased me about Potter. None of them ever really knew my personal feelings towards him, and I did not plan on telling them anytime soon. I appreciated this moment fate had given me; a moment of pure tranquillity. As I walked outside towards the lake, I paused, glancing sideways at the giant oak tree where the Marauders usually sat. Shrugging my shoulders, I headed instead to the tree and sat myself down comfortably at its base. Potter and his entourage were probably in classes at the moment; besides, there was nothing and nobody to stop me. It's a free country.

I flicked open my Charms textbook and squinted at the miniscule writing printed on the pages. This was a hopeless waste of time, trying to memorise charms and their movements. I eventually gave up and slammed the book down onto the fresh blades of green grass.

The yard was mostly empty, except for a small group of sixth grade girls giggling on the opposite side, sneaking furtive glances towards another group of boys.

Now that I had a moment to myself, I began to wonder – what was it about Potter that I liked...and disliked? I hated the rare moments (okay, I'm kidding myself – _very frequent_) when I would blush whenever my friends mentioned Potter.

I had to admit, he did have the most beautiful eyes; and the way he kept on messing up his hair was just...adorable. My mind came back to earth in a flash.

"Lily!" Great; they were back already. Harriet, Chelsea and Julia ran towards me excitedly. They hardly noticed where I was sitting.

"There you are! Guess what?" I barely had a chance to answer when Julia continued to babble her news.

"Sirius Black smiled at me in Divination! He has the dreamiest smile..."

That was when the Marauders came into my line of sight. Potter's eyes were directed at me as his free hand immediately leaped to his hair. I looked away from them, my cheeks slowly beginning to redden.

"Oh yes, he is just drop-dead gorgeous!"

"Totally! Lily, what do you think of this?" "Huh?" They were all staring at me expectantly.

"Yes yes, it's great!" I replied hastily. My girlfriends did not even register the fact that I was drifting away, not listening to a single word they said. They continued their conversation, attempting unsuccessfully to include me when necessary. As usual, I did not feel at all like joining in.

I began to look more closely at Potter, observing his every move as he and his friends sat by the lake, staring at us in a puzzled way and smoothing their hair. My friends' giggles became louder; Julia's laugh soaring high above the others.

He does look quite cute when he messes up his black hair, doesn't he? I cocked my head to the side, examining him. As his eyes met with mine, he looked away quickly, a faint red stain seeping across his cheeks. I mirrored his every move as I ducked down and felt myself blush furiously. I then noticed that it was eerily quiet. I turned to my friends, and saw that they were all staring at me oddly.

Chelsea grinned cunningly. "Oooh, Lily's at it again. We better not interrupt her while she's busy gawking at James Potter!"

They immediately launched into another fit of giggles.

My heart pounded as I blushed yet again. I couldn't deny the fact that I was quite infatuated with Potter. I had fallen under his spell, and this time, there was no going back for me.

**Feel free to review anytime. It would be much appreciated if you could spare a minute or less to give a short review, as it would make my writing much improved, if you know what I mean. I would prefer writing when knowing that there are keen readers out there, than write not knowing if there is even a purpose. So please review! **


	4. Success

**Chapter 4: SUCCESS**

**Please review! I will continue to update soon xx**

**James' POV:**

It was dark outside, and I was in the Common Room, struggling to finish off my Charms homework. The others were sitting with me, and we were, as usual, mucking around. Moony had already completed his homework like the good boy that he was, and Wormtail had as well. I knew that Padfoot could not have even touched his essay, but he didn't look as if he cared. I bet that it was still lying in his bag, neglected after a week of being lugged around in between classes.

When I saw Lily in the other corner with her crowd, that was when I got really distracted. I couldn't help staring at her beautiful long, silky red hair. As she sat there, writing with that dreamy expression on her face, I began to smile. And the eyes! They were simply enchanting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Padfoot begin to stare at me. He cleared his throat, and stood up slowly. I looked straight at him.

"Where are you going?" I asked, trying to keep my tone bright but failing disastrously. He shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding my gaze.

"Oh, I'm just tired that's all. Can't a guy have an early night once in a while?" He said stiffly.

"Goodnight then," I muttered. Padfoot stared right into my eyes. I did the same, and we stayed that way for a few minutes before he finally broke the gaze and walked off.

Wormtail was trying hard not to look too curious about everything, but Moony didn't even comment. Or maybe he was just refraining from doing so, as his nose was buried deep in a textbook but he still seemed to be following our every word.

I was really frustrated at Padfoot. He was obviously annoyed at me for always sneaking furtive glances at Lily, but it was hardly my fault, was it? I mean, look at _him_. Always following by crowds of giggling girls, always the playboy.

That was when somehow, I finally managed to pluck up the courage to ask Lily out on a date. Again. I didn't know why, but I felt that luck was on my side tonight. Surely she couldn't say no. I mean, I have seen her glancing at me occasionally outside. It was awfully cute when she snapped her head away when I looked back at her, and she would blush deeply. While I smoothed down my jet black hair and straightened my glasses, fixing up my loose tie indifferently, I thought over what I would say to her. I then began to lean slowly towards Moony and Wormtail. Wormtail leaned forward excitedly, and almost bumped into me, while Moony simply peered up at me from behind his textbook.

"This is it; the moment we've all been waiting for," I whispered dramatically. They exchanged knowing glances.

"More like the moment _you've _been waiting for," Wormtail chuckled heartily, overjoyed to be included in this conversation. I rolled my eyes. Moony looked doubtful.

"Are you sure about this, Prongs?" He asked seriously, laying the heavy volume in his hands down onto the table. "Surely you wouldn't want to experience that feeling of rejection again, after the last time you tried?"

After glaring at both of them for a long time, I stood up. Couldn't they even offer me their support by wishing me good luck? Shaking my head at them, I began to walk over towards Lily Evans.

Each step felt like an eternity. I know, this doesn't seem like me. On the outside, people always see me as the calm, cool and collected James Potter who is always known for landing himself into sticky situations. However, when it came to things like this – asking the one girl I really liked out on a date – I was hopeless. The last time I asked her out in the library, I had tried to seem casual about things. But hearing her saying "no", feeling the sharp sensation of her wand poking me – it hurt. Not just the bit about her poking me (although I have to admit, I like girls who play hard to get in that aggressive way), but especially her rejecting me. I have had plenty of experience asking other girls out (thanks to Padfoot), and none of them had said no to me. Nobody says no to James Potter. None but Lily Evans. That's what made her so…special.

As I neared her table where she was sitting beside those three ridiculous friends of hers – Julia, Chelsea and whatever her name was – my throat closed up and my carefully prepared speech was simply thrown out the window. I couldn't help staring at her eyes, which were looking down at her work, concentrating. Her friends' laughter slowly screeched to a stop as they turned to stare at me enquiringly. Lily glanced at me curiously.

Out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't help being slightly annoyed as the blond one – Julia I think it was – kept eyeing me in what she apparently thought was a "seductive" way. Nonetheless, I cleared my throat.

"May I have a word with you?" I asked Lily, struggling to get the words out. Lily glanced sideways at her friends, and then nodded. She stood up slowly and began to follow me away from the staring crowd, out of the Common Room and into the empty hallway.

When I finally had her to myself, I began to feel even more nervous.

"Umm, so I was wondering if – maybe you could - " As I spoke, my eyes kept gazing at her luscious pink lips, and the cute way she was nibbling at her lower lip while she listened to me. I wondered what it would feel like to have them upon mine… I immediately un-thought that thought (if that's even possible), and focused on saying the right words.

"…Wondering if maybe you would…want to go out with me? Tomorrow, in Hogsmeade?"

I exhaled deeply, wondering what on earth she would say. I observed Lily as she unconsciously played with a strand of her red hair, still nibbling her lower lip in that adorable way. When she opened her mouth and began to say something, I jumped in.

I don't know why I did it, but at the time it felt right. Looking back now, it could have cost me everything.

I grabbed her shoulders firmly and said in one breath, "I know what you're thinking, that I'm really shallow and always landing into trouble, but I promise that I'll treat you the way every girl wants their perfect man to treat them, even if it means having to do totally embarrassing stuff like – like…"

I stopped when a smile began to play on Lily's lips. Instantly, I loosened my hold on her shoulders and abruptly let go of her. I stared determinedly at my feet, cursing myself for being such an idiot.

"I know that deep inside you, you're not just the naughty troublemaker James Potter," Lily smiled softly.

I snapped my head back up at her. Maybe I still had a chance, after all.

She paused. After a few minutes which seemed like hours, Lily said, "Perhaps I will give you a chance, just this once."

I stared at her, excitement slowly building within me. Did she just say what I thought she said? That Lily Evans was going to go out with me, James Potter? If she wasn't standing right in front of me, I would have jumped up and down and screamed in joy for hours on end.

"Really?" I asked, sounding shy for the first time in ages. A genuine smile finally showed on Lily's lips, making her even more beautiful than she already was.

"Yes," she laughed. As we slowly walked back towards the Common Room, Lily continued.

"I mean, it's pretty obvious if you would risk such humiliation to ask me out twice. It shows that you really are desperate!" Lily burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hey!" I retorted.

That was the happiest I had ever felt. Now, I just hoped that our first date would be as successful as asking her out had been.


End file.
